Corner lock for bedsteads



July 31, 1928.

H. RICHARDSON CORNER LOCK FOR BEDSTEADS Patented July 31, 1928.

HENRY RICHARDSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

' CORNER LOCK FOR ,BEDSTEAD Application ledvNovember 27, 1925'. Serial No. 71,562.y

This invention pertains to improvements in what are commonly known as corner locks for bedsteads, including the instrumentalities by,. which the side rails or-end rails, or

both, of a bedstead frame, or the side rails of a bed spring are separably united to the corner post 0f the bedstead frame. l

In one known type of corner looks there is employed an Lshaped bracket, convenl0 iently and cheaply formed as a section of a rolled angle bar, one limb of which is bolted or riveted to the post of the bed frame, the other limb projecting forwardly at right angles thereto parallel with a side of the frame, and formed `with a notch in its upper edge created by punching out orl otherwise displacing the metal, The angular side rail used in connection with this type of lock is equipped simpl 1 with a centrally located laterally projecting pin or stud kriveted therein which engages an inclined edge ofl the said notch, in a manner to wedge the side rail against the post plate of the corner bracket. f y 4 s The amount of abutting surface provided by the end of a side rail wedged against a plateof a bracket, is too'small for the corner posts of a bed `to be either eiliciently or permanently held against any tendency to tilt relatively to the side rail under thefrequently occurring strains to which the bed frame is subjected simply by means of the thrust of a single stud against an inclined edge of a notch in the manner above described.

One. important vention isto provide a corner lockstructure of the general type last referred to, wherein the relative tilting tendency above referred to shall be effectively overcome. This is preferably accomplished by means j of two vertically and1 horizontally spaced rail locking members preferably located near the upper and lower horizontal edges of a vertical limb of aside rail engagedwith two correspondingly spaced notches in the bracketwhich, in the preferred construction illustrated and hereinafter described, act to cam or wedge the endof the side rail at both its upper and lower portions against i the post plate or yother member of the bracket.' Another'object is to kprovide an improvedstructure which will function with equal efliciency in both the upright and inverted positions of the side rail, and by vobject of my present in-` with an inclined edge extendingin a downlward direction towards the bed post. The side rail used inV connection with the corner lock construction shown and describedherein is preferably composed of an integral anglel bar and two vertically and horizonytally spaced rail locking pins'on each of the end portions of the vertical`r limb of said bar. When engaged with the bracket a porl tion of the vertical limb ofthe angle bar side` rail preferably lies inwardly of the said bracket side wall, the said pins being adapted to engage with the notches ofr the side walls of an oppositely facing pair of brackets preferably in a manner to tightly wedge thevertical' limb yof the side rail against a part of the bracket. In the preferred form of the invention, the notches forming elements of the upper rail locking means are the inner notch in the side wall of one bracket and the outer notch in the side wall of the oppositely facing bracket, which permits ltheside rail to be used in either upright or inverted position, and, in either position, permits the side rail to be mounted on the bracket by a vdownward movement only.

y till further objects and attendant advantages of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description, taken in connection with the 'accompanying drawing, wherein I have illustrated and described one simple and practical embodiment of the principle ofthe invention.

Referring tothe drawings- Fig. l is a fragmentary side elevation of head and foot corner posts of a bedstead frame, the upper and lower angle brackets attached thereto, and an angle bar side rail, broken out between its lends, engaged with said brackets by my yimproved locking means ;r the rail being shown in the upright Lio4 showing the same side railmounted in the corner brackets in relatively inverted posi.- tion, wherein it is adapted to'th'esupport of cross slats such as are to some extent employed for mounting of individual bed springs or the support of a bed spring frame;

Fig. 3 isr a verticalV section across the `side rail and bracket in the plane of the line 3 3 of Fig.. 1;

" Fig. 4 is a view similar'to Fig. 3, inl the plane of the line 4 4 of Fig. 2.;

5 is a top plan'view in cross-section through one of the corner posts on the line 5-5 ofFig.1;v l i c Fig. 6 is aperspectivel elevation ofthe side rail, broken out between its ends, showingthe relative positions ofthe locking studs at the two ends thereof. l

Referring to Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive of the drawings, 10 may designate the head post, and 11 the footv post onthe same side of a bed' frame. Attached to the head post 10 by the rivets indicated at 12 is one limb 13 of an L.shaped corner bracket, the other limb 14 of which projects forwardly from 4the corner post, and is formed in its upper edge with a pair of notches thatare' spaced lengthwise of the limb 14. The deeper notch 15 is located nearest tothe post plate 13 and post 10, while the remote notch 16i`is shallower and `is located some distance beyond or forwardly of the notch 15. -In the preferred construction herein illustrated,

Vboth notches are formed with inclinedfront edfresl and 16 respectively;

imilarlyattached to the foot post. 11 is an L-shaped corner bracket, one'limb 17 of ,which is attached to the post by thev rivets 12, while the other limb 18 projects inwardly vtoward the mating head post bracket and is the two L-shaped corner"brackets'are generally similar, but that they positions ofthe lower and upper notches'of the ltwo brackets are relatively reversed; that is. to

say, the lower notch `19 of the foot bracket is remote from the post plate 17"and corner post 11, and the upper 'notch 20 is nearest the post plate andk post; whereas, inthe case of the head bracket, these relaltive lpositions of the lower and `upper notches are reversed. 21 designates the removable side yrail of the bed frame, shown` in perspective detail in Fig. 6, and consisting, as usual, of la -rolled angle bar.

The rai-121 at its vhead end is equipped, on

the vertical limb thereof, With a pair of laterally offsetv headed locking studs 22 and 23` respectively, and at' its foot end with similarly ofset locking studs 24 and 25. kIt will be` noticedthat,7 of the studs 22 and 23 at the head end, the lower stud 22 is nearest the end 'of' the rail, while the upper stud 23 isremote from the end of the rail; and that these relative positions are just reversed. in

the case of the studs at the foot end, the

upper stud 25 being nearest` the rail end and the lowerstud 24 remote A from` the. rail end. v f

The' side rail,r in its uprighty position, is

coupled to the head and! footbrackets by simply lowering `the studs 22 and 23' into the notchesl 15 and 16? of the head bracket and the studs 24 and 25- into the notches' 19 and 20 of the footbracket, asshown in Fifi'. 1.I f I when it is desired to mountthe side' rails I i in inverted -or upsidefdown position, the rail is inverted and turnedrend for end, and then engaged with 'the brackets.;` in

positionv the locking'studsf 25 'and 24A will engage with the notches 15` and 16, respectively; while the' locking -studs 23' and 22 will engage with the notches 19 and@ 20 respectively, as shown in' Fig; Thea-described construction, therefoire, readily permits `the mounting ofY the ysifdeE rail. in vthe corner brackets in either the upright or the inverted position, vas thel particular bedl me o platesand posts' by theflower rifvet 12. The:

ends of the horizontal limbs'- of the side: rails are notched? out, as shown at 27 Iin Fig; 6, to4 permit the horizontal limbs to be lowered over the heads of the upper rivets 112 when l mounting the side rail in inverted position.

in thel brackets. By' reasonofthe described construction, emp'loyinga pair of vertically v and horizontally offset zo-operating notches and studs in each bracket and rail.` end,` a

high degreeof angular rigidity' is obtained,.-`

since the two studs andv notches manifestly cosoperate-'with I each other tofoppose' any tilting of thev corner post and bracket inf a vertical` plane relatively to thel side rail.

This'y resistance to such tilting tendency eX- ists whether the ynotches are* so formed as to wedge the endy of' the side rail? against' the post plate or not', butpreferablythe wedging form shown and described i's employed in carrying out the invention. It will` alsow.:

be noted that the; relative inversion` of the positions of the lower and upper notches,v on. the head andi'foot brackets',swith a corresponding relative inversion! of the (3o-soperating studs on the. headand foot vends of,

the side rail adapt the brackets and'side rail to co-operative engagement equally well in the upright and inverted positions of the side rail illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, respectively.

In the construction illustrated portions of the side rail lie against the inner sides of the wing plates 14: and 18 of the brackets, and the downwardly inclined front walls or edges of the notches acting through the studs cam the ends of the rail at bothy their upper and lower portions against the post plates of the brackets, whereby a very strong and rigid connection is established that effectively resists any canting or tilting tendency of the corner posts in the vertical plane of the side rail.

In addition to the foregoing, a plurality of headed studs both vertically and hori-A zontally offset relatively to each other overlapping the sides of the wing plates are well adapted to resist sidewise and angular strains in a horizontal direction between the side rail and the corner brackets; such strains being brought into play when the bedstead is pulled or pushed over the floor at or from one side or corner.

It is manifest that detail changes and modifications may be' made in the described construction without departing from the principle of the invention or sacrificing any of its inherent advantages. Hence, I reserve all such variations and modifications as fall within the spirit and purview of the appended claims.

notch in the side wall of the other bracket,

and a side rail having its end portions each provided with upper and lower rail locking members adapted to engage with the said spaced notches and removably lock said side rail to said bracket.

2. In a beadstead structure, the combination of a cooperating pair of bracketsy adapted to be secured to oppositely facing corner posts of a bed, each of said brackets having a post plate and a side wall formed with vertically spaced inner and outer notches reversely arranged as to height on the two brackets, and a side rail having each of its end portions provided with two vertically spaced inner and outer rail locking members reversely arranged as to height on the two rail end portions adapted to engage' with said notches and removably lock said side rail to said brackets in both the upright and vinverted positions of said side rail.

HENRY RICHARDSON. 

